Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Early screening and education remain key factors to fighting cancer – Institute reiterates
Cancer is the name given to a collection of related diseases that attack the body, in forms more different than the other. With Cancer, the cells become abnormal, grow until they form into tumours, and this can develop and grow in almost any part of the human body.
Dr. Sayan Chakraborty
This disease has a major impact on societies across the globe. In 2018 alone, an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States, with 609,640 losing that battle. This disease is not your typical flu that attacks your nervous system and then subsides after a few days—it can last for years. And while the symptoms are not specific, it is important that people limit their risk factors and undergo proper and early screening.
This preventative measure is something that the Cancer Institute of Guyana (CIG) has been pushing for a number of years now, especially with the help of Dr. Sayan Chakraborty, the medical director and a clinical oncologist at the CIG.
The CIG is highly recognised for their cancer diagnoses and treatment in not just Guyana, but the Caribbean region. At the cancer institute, diagnostic screening and treatment such as internal/ external radiation, mammograms, pap-smears, X-rays, sonograms, chemotherapy and CT-scanning are readily available for all the different forms of cancer, with the exception of cancers that children develop.
Dr. Chakraborty who has been working at the Cancer Institute since March of 2015 expressed that, “The most important part is not the diagnoses and treatment. Remember, prevention is better than cure, and it is why screening is pivotal, along with education to the patient, and education to the general society.”
The oncologist, who treats some 200 patients yearly, noted that when they can detect the cancer early, the prognosis of the cancer and the treatment is “very good”.
Considering that the most common types of cancer for women in Guyana are breast and cervical cancers, the CIG conducts screening programs such as the sonograms, which Chakraborty adds, is a combination diagnosis of performing an x-ray and an ultrasound in the breast.
“With pap-smears, what we do is that we have a swab and take scraping of the lower part of the womb, called the cervix. [We] take some swabs from the vagina, the lip of the cervix and the inner parts of the cervix, put it on a slide and then view it under a microscope. This too is also one of the best procedures to detect cervical cancer,” says the oncologist.
He noted that the pap-smear and mammogram are two very simple procedures, and the report can be completed in less than 24 hours, with no hospital administration required afterwards. Prostate cancer, which is more common in men in Guyana is also a very simple screening test.
“None of these tests are expensive. Most of the time we spend more money on an evening or a weekend with our friend,” the oncologist said.
Questioned about whether the Institute is understaffed or underequipped, Chakraborty said no. “Guyana has a small population. If the population becomes 3, 4, 5 million we might need another centre. But right now the population is right, I think that one centre is more than enough.”
“I would suggest that if someone is finding a lump in the breast, if there is a long standing pain in the breast, I think it would be best for you to go see the doctor or visit the cancer institute. If a person is having a vaginal discharge, bleeding or unusual pain then you should visit the doctor. These are the symptoms that might indicate to you that something might be wrong. If one is experiencing these symptoms, one should not be staying at home, but seek the doctor’s advice,” Chakraborty concluded.
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